Zipra veterans seek meeting Mnangagwa

FORMER Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (Zipra) cadres met in Bulawayo last week and resolved to engage President Emmerson Mnangagwa to air their grievances over a number of issues, which they claim were ignored by former President Robert Mugabe over the past 37 years.

BY SILAS NKALA

Zipra Veterans Association secretary-general, Petros Sibanda, said some of the grievances include neglect of the majority of their members by the Zanu PF government.

“We remember there was a process of alignment of the War Veterans Act to the Constitution, which was initiated by then minister of War Veterans, Tshinga Dube. We are not sure, if that process will continue,” he said.

Sibanda said they would also lobby for the return of their properties confiscated by Mugabe’s administration soon after independence. Zipra and Zapu lost several properties including farms during the Gukurahundi.

“There is a caveat, which prevents a party from interfering in the property ownership and we want that law to be regularised and have that cover removed to enable those who had their property taken unfairly claiming it back without hindrance,” he said.
Sibanda said they also want Gukurahundi information declassified.

“The issue of classification of information is still of concern to us. There must be declassification of that information,” he said.

“There are some people, who ran away from the country during political disturbances in 1980s [Gukurahundi] and even to date, they still live abroad. They fear returning home because people get arrested for crimes they do not know. The law says the classified information must expire after five years and we want that done so that our comrades, who are in hiding, are allowed to come back, this country belongs to them too and everyone must be free in it.”

Sibanda said they will engage Mnangagwa’s special advisor, Christopher Mutsvangwa, to facilitate the meeting with the President.

Rihana and sandie are exposing an element of ignorance. Munangagwa and mugabe know about this era. Dont let situations catchup with you in a way. Tolerance to the view and feels of aggrieved and attention to them is very important for your peace and any other person in Zim. For your own information Gukurahundi was real and at this juncture as a way forward we are prepared to forgive. Your arrogance is destructive of such intentions. Only a fool will dispute existence of Gukurahundi. Im prepared to forgive. My hand is extended. Im waiting for the take by at least one perpetrator.

In the history of Zimbabwe and Rhodesia there were a lot of incidences where clans,tribes or races massacred each other. Before the coming of Ndebeles, Shona clans fought each other for political power e.g.the Munhumutapa empire defeated the Tavara and Tonga people and the Rozvi empire overthrew the Mutapa empire. In the 1830S, the Ndebeles arrived in Zimbabwe from South Africa and they established their empire in South Western Zimbabwe by overthrowing the Shona Rozvi State. In the 1890s, the British colonialists entered Zimbabwe and conquered the Ndebele State. In the 1960s, the Shonas and Ndebeles fought the British colonialists and overpowered them in 1980. Political power passed to the Shonas. The Ndebeles were not happy and some of them decided to rebel against the Shonas. The dissident Ndebeles were ruthlessly crushed by a Shona brigade made up of former ZANLA mujibhas and Chimbwidos. In all the incidences described above neither the aggressor nor the victorious party were made to account for their excesses. Precedent was made that the conquering party did so with impunity. My question is, why is it important that perpetrators should only be made to account for their excesses in the Gukurahundi era that occurred after independence yet: 1. The white colonialists were not made to account for massacring the black people, 2. Mzilikazi and his Ngunis were not made to account for massacring the Shona prople, 3. Shona clans that existed in Zimbabwe before 1800 were not brought to justice for annihilating each other e.g. the Rozvi were so called because they massacred other Shona clans who cooperated with the Portuguese in the 1680s. The Munhumutapa people ( or the Korekore people as they are now called) massacred the Tonga and Tavara people who lived in the Zambezi valley and took over their land. The Munhumutapa people were originally Karanga people who migrated from Great Zimbabwe. In all the listed incidences, the oppressed and conquered people were denied justice. Why is Gukurahundi so important? During Gukurahundi, the Shonas avenged the killing and oppressing of their relatives and ancestors by the Ndebeles during the period from 1830 to 1893, before the arrival of the white people. We must forgive and forget about the past because people die during civil wars. What we should all try to do as Zimbabweans going into the future is to avoid tribal and racial civil wars.

There were 50 ZNA who became dissidents – that can not be described as a war. In the streets of Zim, have you ever seen Shonas fighting with the Ndebele and killing each other, as happens in other African countries? Why do you now want to associate Zimbabweans with ZANU’s dirty politics of divide and rule? Because of intermarriages, many Shonas lost their Ndebele Uncles and Cousins – do you even know that? Walter Mzembi’s mother is Ndebele – she could have easily been a victim as well. Think about it!

About 30 minutes ago, I posted a comment and you did not publish it. You Newsday people are pursuing a tribal agenda to divide people. You give prominence to issues like Gukurahundi that have the potential to further alienate the people of Matebeleland from the rest of Zimbabwe. I think you should preach UNITY, LOVE AND FORGIVENESS among Zimbabwean people. Are you saying the Ndebeles are clean and never harmed the interests of other ethnic groups in Zimbabwe in the past?

Am Shona, i was very young before my grade one but Bulawayo was like a war zone. People had to carry IDs to buy from shops 400m away. People were brutally beaten up in my eyes in the high density areas. what more of places far away from the public eye. There is need to apologise. People lost their loved ones. Even though there could have been a few rotten apples but was it correct to use the scorched earth policy????

Ana Maricho kana musingazive nyararai. You cant build a nation on tribal lines. zvekuti mandevere nemashona aimborwa nemapfumo it happened but those are old primitive times, not in this day and age of civilisation.Isu takagara mu bulawayo nemu harare for many years we understand better. Bulawayo used to be the industrial hub but look at the situation now. Lets embrace one another and build Zimbabwe. What do you gain from hating a ndebele or a shona?? you just die a bitter person.

The Gukurahundi issue would be easy to resolve if only SOME Shona speaking people stopped defending the perpetrators. Gukurahundi is tribalised because of those self appointed people who come here to speak on behalf of the culprits we are after, namely Mnangagwa, Mugabe, Perence Shiri, Sekeramayi, Nkala and ZANU PF in general, without their permission. These are the culprits – not this Shona Ndebele nonsense!!

The National Peace and Reconciliation Commission, which is a Chapter 12 Independent Commission with the mandate to foster national healing in Zimbabwe, needs to have it’s 10-year mandate reinstated if it is to fulfil its Constitutional mandate. ...